Anyone got any tips for learning the transition out of seat drag with seat behind? I know that there are at least two transitions - one where you reach down and grab the frame/fork and one where you kick up the frame with your heel. Thing is I don’t know how to even start learning either… Any suggestions appreciated.
If you cant already, learn the pick up from seat drag in front. I think it alot easier then with the seat in back.
For the seat drag in back tranisition but i kick it with my heel but i am still very incosistent. I have tried to reach down and grab it but i always fall over or can’t reach it (i need tips on the pick up too). Although for the kick up, before i even drop the seat i have my kick up foot slighty farther back on the pedal. Then i drop it and seat drag. If i am going at a good speed then i shift the back of my foot toward the wheel and kick it up.
There are 3 ways that I know of. I use my heel to pick the seat up from drag seat in back by twisting my foot on the pedal to get my heel under the frame when the foot is coming up. I never really tried the reach down method or the stop and pick the seat up with your foot method. I find picking up in back with the heel easier than picking up seat drag in front.
When learning to pick up with your heel, you first want to make sure you have appropriate shoes. When I was first learning, I was wearing chuck taylor converse shoes, which didn’t provide a whole lot of protection on the side so my foot would hurt after a few tries. But with those shoes, before I got on the uni, I would try to get my heel over as far to the outer side of the shoe as possible so that the shoe would have more of a hook to grab the frame and less chance of increasing the pain on my foot from repetitive attempts. With thicker shoes, you probably wont need to do anything special. Anyways, that was my secret when learning. Other than that, you just want to make sure you get enough of your heel under the frame to lift it up and then have your hand ready to grab the seat when it does come up.
http://unicyclist.org/cont/play.cfm?pi=m320240pickupseatbhttp://unicyclist.org/cont/play.cfm?pi=m320240pickupheel
Check out these two (not-so-good) videos I made of the transitions.
For picking the seat up in back, I like to go fairly slowly, then reach down as far as I can and grab the frame. What I actually do is hit the part of the frame next to the wheel with my fingers so that it flies up, then I move my hand back a little and catch it.
Thanks for the tips Gilby and skate4flip. I’ll try out the heel-assisted transition tonight. I can already pick up from seat drag in front so hopefully I’ll get this new transition and complete the set.
In the old (1989) Skill Levels video, I’m the guy who does the no-hands pickup in Level 9. I never learned the other ways either, because that method is so many times cooler for an audience to watch. It looks like the seat comes up all by itself, or like you pulled a string!
To add to Gilby’s description, I don’t remember having any pain in the ankle from doing it, so my old turf shoes must have been better suited to the task. All I had to do was turn my heel drastically toward the inside. Maybe it was the top of my shoe that was lifting the frame; I’m not sure. Anyway, once it starts coming up you just need to remember to keep pedaling until the seat comes up to bump you. It’s much easier than the other two methods!